The Wizard (1989)

A boy and his brother run away from home and hitch cross country with the help of a girl they meet to compete in the ultimate video game championship.

Director:

Todd Holland

Writer:

David Chisholm

Stars:

Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Edwards	...	Jimmy Woods / The Wizard
Vince Trankina	...	Tate (as Vincent Leahr)
Wendy Phillips	...	Christine Bateman
Dea McAllister	...	Counselor
Sam McMurray	...	Bateman
Beau Bridges	...	Sam Woods
Fred Savage	...	Corey Woods
Christian Slater	...	Nick Woods
Will Seltzer	...	Putnam
Roy Conrad	...	Bus Clerk
Jenny Lewis	...	Haley
Roderick Dexter	...	Trucker #1 / Wrecking Yard Man
Ray Bickel	...	Trucker #2
Chuck Skinner	...	Grease Monkey
W.K. Cowan	...	Salesman #1

Storyline

Corey and Jimmy Woods are two brothers who are being separated due to their parents divorcing. Jimmy is a mentally unstable kid that has had problems ever since his sister died at a young age. One day, Corey discovers that Jimmy has a natural talent for playing video games. He is one of the best around, and the two journey to the West Coast to compete in a video game championship, but along the way, they must avoid the adults, who are trying to take Jimmy away.

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Plot Keywords:

nintendo | girl | 1980s | kiss | hitchhiking | 

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Taglines:

They're on a cross-country adventure to the world's greatest video championship. It's more than a game...it's the chance of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Brazil

Language:

English Brazilian Sign Language

Release Date:

15 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vidéokid

Filming Locations:

Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$14,278,900

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions, Pipeline Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The magazine that Haley finds the Video Armageddon ad in is the July 1989 issue of Video Games and Computer Entertainment. The cover story of that issue was the US debut of the TurboGrafx-16 by NEC. The TurboGrafx-16 was release in Japan (where it was named the PC Engine) two years earlier and outsold its competitors there, including the Famicom (the Japanese name of the Nintendo Entertainment System). Unfortunately, the TurboGrafx-16 was less successful in the US.

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Goofs

When Sam is driving down the highway right before he gets his tires slashed, the tree in the back of his truck has few or no leaves. When he runs out of the restaurant later to see his tires slashed, the tree is full of bright green leaves.

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Quotes

Nick: You know Bateman, I always knew that you were a jerk. I just until now thought that it was guilt by association.

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Alternate Versions

When shown on Nickelodeon, all profane language is cut, along with the "he touched my breast" line (and, of course, all subsequent references to that line.)

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Connections

Referenced in James & Mike Mondays: Taboo the Sixth Sense (2013)

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Soundtracks

Hangin' Tough
Written by Maurice Starr
Performed by New Kids on the Block

User Reviews

You got 50,000 on Double Dragon?!?

If you were born between the years 1974 and 1984 and were as obsessed as most of us were about Nintendo games, you will enjoy this movie. Yes, the plot is predictable and cheesy and the writing leaves a lot to be desired, but I guarantee if you fall into the above group, you will enjoy regressing back to 1989 where having "all 97 games," and "the power glove (it's so bad...)" were major status symbols. If you don't fall into this group, or couldn't really care less about old video games, then you should probably pass on this film. But for the rest of us, (I used to watch the commercial for this film just to get a glimpse at Super Mario Bros. 3) watch it and enjoy it time after time.